2012 Press Releases

Equality California Celebrates Victories For Equality

50 Endorsed Candidates Win Races

(Sacramento) On a night of historic gains for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans and Californians — including marriage victories in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington — nearly all of Equality California’s endorsed candidates were victorious. Based on current results, of the 57 candidates EQCA endorsed for Tuesday’s election, 50 of them won their races outright, and two are still too close to call. The night marked another victory in expanding the number of pro-equality legislators and maintaining a 7-member LGBT Legislative Caucus.

The LGBT Legislative Caucus will welcome one new member this year, Democrat Susan Eggman from Stockton. Pro-equality candidates Sharon Quirk-Silva and Jose Medina also clinched key victories against anti-LGBT candidates in Southern California races. EQCA field teams and volunteers supported these candidates with phone banking and door-to-door canvassing.

“Congratulations to the new and returning legislators,” said Suzy Jones, EQCA PAC chair. “California voters asserted again that belief in full equality is an important part of representing them, and they did so in places like the Central Valley, Orange County and Riverside, a historic expansion of the pro-equality map.”

EQCA also celebrates the victory of Proposition 30, which will provide critical funding to schools, community colleges, and the state’s safety net, and the defeat of Proposition 32, which would have hurt unions’ ability to stand with the LGBT community.

Finally, EQCA congratulates U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein on her re-election, first proudly lesbian U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin on her election, U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz on his election, and first LGBT person of color elected U.S. Representative Mark Takano.

Equality California (EQCA) is the largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights advocacy organization in California. Over the past decade, Equality California has strategically moved California from a state with extremely limited legal protections for LGBT individuals to a state with some of the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation. Equality California has passed more than 90 pieces of legislation and continues to advance equality through legislative advocacy, electoral work, public education and community empowerment. www.eqca.org